Vodka: Its History and Significance #5

History of Vodka and Why Vodka was Made
Vodka, according to Russian lore, translates to “little water” and was used as an anesthetic and disinfectant in the 12 century. It originally was made from Rye but as time passed, wheat, barley and then corn became the preferred refining ingredient.
In the 14th century, Russians came to believe that Vodka retained a divine spirit due to its intoxicating effect. It was cheap to produce so was distributed and carried around in gallon-sized jugs at religious ceremonies. It seems most churchgoers drank from these jugs because to reject the offering of a drink would be tantamount to sacrilege.
As time passed into the 16th and 17th centuries, vodka spread its influence from the church to the banquet table where meals typically began with bread and vodka. Not wanting to be left behind, lower class peasants figured a way to make their own cheap version of vodka by refining potatoes. Now everyone could afford to drink and that, they did. The whole country indulged without limit.
World War I temporarily crashed the party because soldiers marching into battle were expected to be sober so government officials attempted to suppress vodka consumption. It didn’t work. Nor did their attempts in the 1920’s to institute sobering educational programs. Then, Stalin came along and completely reversed protocol by ordering a re-expansion of vodka production so he could fund Russia’s defense.

Smirnoff Introduces Vodka to the United States

Vodka was introduced to the United States in the 1930’s by the Smirnoff Company in the form of gold vodka. Gold vodka was vodka aged ten (10) years in oak casks.
Piotr Smirnov founded Smirnoff vodka in Moscow in the 1860’s. During the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks confiscated his distillery and he was forced to flee. He fled to Istanbul where he re-established the brand then on to Lwow where he took on the French spelling of his Russian name: Smirnoff.
In 1934 and still in the midst of the Great Depression, Vladimir Smirnov, son of Piotr Smirnov, was forced to sell the company to an American, Rudolph Kunet (Kunet was a Russian Émigré), who subsequently moved the company to the United States. Kunet then sold the company to Heublein who then sold to the French conglomerate Diageo. Diageo also owns Guiness, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, J&B, Seagram 7 Crown, VO, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Bushmills, Lagavulin, and many more.

Vodka Sales Soar in the United States

Smirnoff made giant leaps into the alcohol consumption market by paying to have James Bond drink only vodka martinis in his movies, beginning with Dr. No. In Ian Fleming’s novels, Bond drinks unbranded vodka.

Source: www.martinimuse.com

Best Value Vodkas

1. SKYY Vodka – USA No carbohydrates, said to contain the fewest impurities of the leading brands, distilled from American Midwest grain with cocoa. Considered a light vodka.
2. Smirnoff – Russia, now USA Distilled from grain with hint of mint, wet stone and charcoal
3. Blavod Black Vodka – London Distilled from grain - color and smoothness attributed to the Black Catechu, a tannin resin of the Acacia catechu heartwood, a tree indigenous to India and Burma
4. Gilbeys Vodka – USA Distilled from grain
5. Gordons Vodka – USA Distilled from grain
6. Mor Vodka – Poland Distilled from potatoes
7. Wodka Wyborowa – Poland Distilled from rye
8. Three Olives Vodka – England Distilled from English wheat
9. Oliphant Vodka – Holland Distilled from
10. 3 Vodka – USA 1st and only vodka distilled from soy and contains no carbohydrates

Source: www.martinimuse.com

Origin and Contents of the Best Vodka Brands

Americana Luxury Vodka – Colts Neck, New Jersey Americana Luxury Vodka is an unflavored grain vodka that is quadruple distilled with water sourced at 300 feet below sea level. The grains included in Americana are wheat, barley, rye and corn. It is charcoal filtered seven times with a carbon block filter that is capable of filtering even tobacco smoke. Americana Luxury Vodka is distilled at a family distillery in Colts Neck, New Jersey at the Laird and Company Plant. It is the nation's oldest distillery. You'll notice the nod to American craftsmanship on the bottle whose main body is clear (signifying white) with tints of read and blue surrounding the corners. Americana received a "91, Exceptional, Gold Medal Rating" from the Beverage Testing Institute as well as a "Bronze Medal" and "People's Choice for Package of the Year" by the National Association of Contributors and "Package of the Year Award" by All Pak, Inc. Americana Luxury Vodka was introduced in the Fall of 2007. Dan Marino, Hall of Fame and retired Miami Dolphins quarterback is an investor.

1. O-N Vodka – Oregon Organic Nation Vodka is a premium organic vodka distilled from rye and grown in Etna, California. The finished product is an organic blend of rye (for sweetness), wheat and corn. O-N Vodka is produced organically: no pesticides, no fertilizers, ionizing radiation, non-potable water runoff, etc. Interesting, the label is produced on recycled paper and the label glue is not toxic.
2. Belvedere Vodka – Poland Premium vodka distilled from rye
3. Chopin Vodka – Poland Luxury vodka distilled from potatoes, named after Polish composer Frederic Chopin. Seven (7) pounds of potatoes are used to make just one (1) bottle.
4. VeeV Liqueur – South America Luxury vodka substitute made from organic Acai berries
5. Stolichnaya Vodka – Russia Distilled from winter wheat in Russia’s oldest distillery using pure glacial waters. Herbal and pine bouquet
6. Bak’s Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka – Poland Distilled from potatoes and artesian well water with a hint of bison grass
7. Absolut Vodka – Sweden Distilled from winter wheat
8. Finlandia Vodka – Finland Distilled from barley and glacier water, silky texture, medium weight body, a bit harsh yet warm and provides a smooth finish
9. Grey Goose Vodka – France Quality vodka distilled from French wheat with impeccable clarity and supple medium weight body. Crisp, clean and smooth finish.
10. Hangar One Vodka – Alameda, CaliforniaPot-distilled from quality viognier grapes then blended into column still mid-western wheat vodka at the Alameda Naval Air Station. Soft, aromatic and smooth.
11. Ketel One Dutch Vodka – Netherlands Distilled from pure wheat in an alembic copper pot, a method reserved for fine scotches and cognacs. Citrus and toasted cereal aromas. Sweet and spicy flavor first ftaste.
12. Luksusowa Potato Vodka (lux-sus-ova) – Poland Distilled from potatoes with hint of herbs and caramel
13. Cristall Vodka – Russia Distilled from winter wheat and glacial waters with hints of chocolate and vanilla
14. Original Polish Vodka – Poland Distilled from rye, crystal clear with lightweight, satiny smooth body with a caramel bouquet.
15. Pearl Vodka – Western Canada Distilled from wheat, is brisk and refreshing with soft creamy aromas
16. Purus Vodka – Italy Luxury vodka distilled from organic Italian wheat
17. Rain Vodka – Kentucky Distilled from yeast and organically grown corn with hint of fruit and toffee
18. Van Hoo Vodka – Belgium Distilled from grain and spring water. Bouquet of citrus cocoa and grain. Taste of quinine and lemon.
19. Van Gogh Vodka – Netherlands Distilled using mostly wheat, some barley and corn in a copper potstill for extra smoothness. Citrus taste, silky texture.
20. Vox Vodka – Netherlands Distilled from wheat said to have a weightless body and clean palate (taste)
21. 360 Vodka – United States Luxury vodka distilled from grain

Source: www.martinimuse.com

Vodka: Its History and Significance #4

Vodka in Sweden

Vodka production in Sweden, which dates from the 15th century, has its origins in the local gunpowder industry where high-proof spirit (originally called brännvin) was used as a component of black powder for muskets. When distilleries were licensed to produce beverage alcohol (primarily spice-flavored Aquavit, but also Vodka), it was with the understanding that gunpowder makers had first priority over beverage consumers.
Home distilling was long a part of Swedish society. In 1830 there were over 175,000 registered stills in a country of less than three million people. This tradition, in a much diminished and illegal form, still continues to this day. Modern Swedish Vodka is produced by the Vin & Sprit state monopoly.

Vodka in the United States

Vodka was first imported into the United States in commercial quantities around the turn of the 20th century. Its primary market was immigrants from Eastern Europe. After the repeal of National Prohibition in 1933, the Heublein Company bought the rights to the Smirnoff brand of Vodka from its White Russian émigré owners and relaunched Vodka into the U.S. market. Sales languished until an enterprising liquor salesman in South Carolina started promoting it as "Smirnoff White Whisky — No taste. No smell." Sales started to increase and American Vodka, after marking time during World War II, was on its way to marketing success.

The first popular Vodka-based cocktail was a combination of Vodka and ginger ale called the Moscow Mule. It was marketed with its own special copper mug, examples of which can still be found in the back shelves of liquor cabinets and flea markets of America.
Today Vodka is the dominant white spirit in the United States, helped along by its versatility as a mixer and some very clever advertising campaigns from the various producers. One of the most famous of these was the classic double entendre tag line: "Smirnoff — It leaves you breathless."

Source: Tastings.com

Vodka: Its History and Significance #3

Vodka in Poland

The earliest written records of Vodka production in Poland date from the 1400s, though some Polish historians claim that it was being produced around the southern city of Krakow at least a century earlier. Originally known as okowita (from the Latin aqua vita —water of life), it was used for a variety of purposes besides beverages. A 1534 medical text defined an aftershave lotion as being "Vodka for washing the chin after shaving." Herbal-infused Vodkas were particularly popular as liniments for the aches and pains of life.
In 1546 King Jan Olbracht of Poland granted the right to distill and sell spirits to every adult citizen. The Polish aristocracy, taking a cue from their Russian peers, soon lobbied to have this privilege revoked and replaced by a royal decree that reserved the right to make Vodka exclusively to them.
Commercial Vodka distilleries were well established by the 18th century. By the mid-19th century a thriving export trade had developed, with Polish Vodkas, particularly those infused with small quantities of fruit spirit, being shipped throughout northern Europe and even into Russia.
With the fall of Communism in the late 1980s, the Vodka distilleries soon returned to private ownership. Nowadays high-quality Polish Vodkas are exported throughout the world.

Source: Tastings.com

Vodka: Its History and Significance #2

Vodka in Russia

Russians firmly believe that Vodka was created in their land. Commercial production was established by the 14th century. In 1540 Czar Ivan the Terrible took a break from beheading his enemies and established the first government Vodka monopoly. Distilling licenses were handled out to the boyars (the nobility) and all other distilleries were banned. Needless to say, moonshining became endemic.
Vodka production became an integral part of Russian society. Aristocratic landowners operated stills on their estates and produced high-quality Vodkas which were frequently flavored with everything from acorns to horseradish to mint. The Czars maintained test distilleries at their country palaces where the first experiments in multiple redistillations were made. In 1780 a scientist at one such distillery invented the use of charcoal filtration to purify Vodka.
By the 18th and well into the 19th century the Russian Vodka industry was probably the most technologically advanced industry in the nation. New types of stills and production techniques from Western Europe were eagerly imported and utilized. State funding and control of Vodka research continued. Under a 1902 law, "Moscow Vodka," a clear 40% ABV rye Vodka made with soft "living" (undistilled) water and without added flavorings was established as the benchmark for Russian Vodka.
The Soviet Union continued government control of Vodka production. All distilleries became government-owned, and while the Communist Party apparatchiks continued to enjoy high-quality rye Vodka, the proletariat masses had to make do with cheap spirits. The societal attitude toward such products could be best summed up by the curious fact that mass-produced Vodka was sold in liter bottles with a non-screw cap. Once you opened the bottle it couldnt be resealed. You had to drink it all in one session.
Vodka production in the current Russian Federation has returned to the pre-Revolutionary pattern. High-quality brands are once again being produced for the new social elite and export, while the popularly priced brands are still being consumed, well, like voda.

Source: Tastings.com

Vodka Regions

Eastern Europe is the homeland of Vodka production. Every country produces Vodka, and most also have local flavored specialties.

Russia, Ukraine and Belarus produce the full range of Vodka types, and are generally acknowledged to be the leaders in Vodka production. Only the better brands, all of which are distilled from rye and wheat, are exported to the West.

Poland produces and exports both grain- and potato-based Vodkas. Most of the high- quality brands are produced in pot stills.

Finland, along with the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, produce primarily grain-based Vodkas, mostly from wheat.

Sweden has, in recent decades, developed a substantial export market for its straight and flavored wheat-based Vodkas.

Western Europe has local brands of Vodka wherever there are distilleries. The base for these Vodkas can vary from grains in northern countries such as the United Kingdom, Holland, and Germany, to grapes and other fruits in the winemaking regions of France and Italy.

The United States and Canada produce nonflavored Vodkas, both from various grains (including corn) and from molasses. American Vodkas are, by law, neutral spirits, so the distinction between brands is more a matter of price and perception than taste.

The Caribbean produces a surprising amount of Vodka, all of it from molasses. Most of it is exported for blending and bottling in other countries.

Australia produces molasses-based Vodkas, but few are exported.

Asia has a smattering of local Vodkas, with the best coming from Japan.

Source: Tastings.com

Classification and Types of Vodka

CLASSIFICATION There are no uniform classifications of Vodka. In Poland, Vodkas are graded according to their degree of purity: standard (zwykly), premium (wyborowy) and deluxe (luksusowy). In Russia Vodka that is labeled osobaya (special) usually is a superior-quality product that can be exported, while krepkaya (strong) denotes an overproof Vodka of at least 56% ABV.
In the United States, domestic Vodkas are defined by U.S. government regulation as "neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color." Because American Vodka is, by law, neutral in taste, there are only very subtle distinctions between brands. Many drinkers feel that the only real way of differentiating between them is by alcohol content and price.

TYPES

Since Vodka tends to be a neutral spirit, it lends itself to blending with flavors and fortifying other beverages. In the 19th century, high-proof "Russian spirit" was held in high esteem by Sherry producers in Spain, who imported it to fortify their wines.

Neutral spirits are still used to fortify Port, Sherry, and other types of fortified wines, although the source of alcohol for such purposes these days tends to be the vast "wine lake" that has been created by European Union agricultural practices.

Flavored Vodkas have been produced from the start, originally to mask the flavor of the first primitive Vodkas, but later as a mark of the distiller's skill. The Russians and Poles in particular still market dozens of flavors. Some of the better known types are:

1. Kubanskaya - Vodka flavored with an infusion of dried lemon and orange peels.
2. Limonnaya - Lemon-flavored Vodka, usually with a touch of sugar added.
3. Okhotnichya -"Hunter's" Vodka is flavored with a mix of ginger, cloves, lemon peel, coffee, anise and other herbs and spices. It is then blended with sugar and a touch of a wine similar to white port. A most unusual Vodka.
4. Pertsovka -Pepper-flavored Vodka, made with both black peppercorns and red chili peppers.
5. Starka - "Old" Vodka, a holdover from the early centuries of Vodka production, which can be infused with everything from fruit tree leaves to brandy, Port, Malaga wine, and dried fruit. Some brands are aged in oak casks.
6. Zubrovka - Zubrowka in Polish; Vodka flavored with buffalo (or more properly "bison") grass, an aromatic grass favored by the herds of the rare European bison.

In recent years numerous other flavored Vodkas have been launched on the world market. The most successful of these have been fruit flavors such as currant and orange.

Source: Tastings.com

What is Vodka?

Vodka is the dominant spirit of Eastern Europe. It is made by fermenting and then distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, and a variety of other plants. Rye and wheat are the classic grains for Vodka, with most of the best Russian Vodkas being made from wheat while in Poland they are mostly made from a rye mash. Swedish and Baltic distillers are partial to wheat mashes. Potatoes are looked down on by Russian distillers, but are held in high esteem by some of their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka. American distillers use the full range of base ingredients.
Distillation of VodkaThe choice of pot or column still has a fundamental effect on the final character of Vodka. All Vodka comes out of the still as a clear, colorless spirit, but Vodka from a pot still (the same sort used for Cognac and Scotch whisky) will contain some of the delicate aromatics, congeners, and flavor elements of the crop from which it was produced. Pot stills are relatively "inefficient," and the resulting spirit from the first distillation is usually redistilled (rectified) to increase the proof of the spirit. Vodka from a more "efficient" column still is usually a neutral, characterless spirit.
Except for a few minor styles, Vodka is not put in wooden casks or aged for an extensive period of time. It can, however, be flavored or colored with a wide variety of fruits, herbs, and spices.

Source: Tastings.com

Famous Vodka Quotes

1. Vodka shall be taxed at a rate of two kopecks per bucketful. - 18th-century Czarist government excise tax regulation.
2. “In Soviet Russia, Vodka drinks YOU!!” ~ Russian Reversal on Vodka
3. “Mmm, I like this water! Is this Crystal Geyser?”~ Donald Trump on vodka, shortly before puking everywhere and passing out.
   
4. “Vodka is the opiate of the people.”~ Karl Marx on communism
   
5. “It was not without the help of vodka that Ape became Man.”~ Friedrich Engels on vodka
   
6. “Vodka is God's gift to Mankind!”~ Albert Einstein on vodka
   
7. “Mankind is God's gift to Vodka!”~ Albert Einstein on intoxication
   
8. “The relationship between a Russian and a bottle of vodka is almost mystical.”~ Sex and the City
9. “Ouch, my liver!”~ This Guy on vodka
   
10. “Don't vote for Vodka, vote for George Bush!”~ U.S.A on fixed erections
    
11. “I thought cirrhosis was a cloud formation, until I discovered Smirnoff!”~ Wide-spread advertising campaign
    
12. “I'm not as think as you drunk I am!”~ Anonymous on copious amounts.
    
13. “QWACK!, QWACK!”~ Cobby on vodka
    
14. “Oscar! Have you been drinking?”~ George W. Bush on Oscar's bad habit
    
15. “I don't know! I'm too drunk to remember!”~ Oscar Wilde on 5 pints of vodka
    
16. “Pussy.”~ Absinthe on Vodka
    
17. “How do the Russians do it?”~ Murree on Vodka
    
18. “In vodka we trust.”~ Enzo Dirlik on Vodka
    
19. “If there was no vodka, there would be no beautiful women”~ Russian Man on Russian Women
    
20. “Ah, Vodka. Communism in every sip.”~ Communist on Vodka
    
21. “But officer, I was too drunk to walk, I HAD to drive.”~ You on Vodka

What is the Origin of VODKA? Part # 4

Vodka marches across Europe

The spread of awareness of vodka continued throughout the 19th century, helped by the presence in many parts of Europe of Russian soldiers involved in the Napoleonic Wars. Increasing popularity led to escalating demand and to meet this demand, lower grade products were produced based largely on distilled potato mash. Earlier attempts to control production by reducing the number of distilleries from 5,000 to 2,050 between the years 1860 and 1890 having failed, a law was enacted in 1894 to make the production and distribution of vodka in Russia a state monopoly. This was both for fiscal reasons and to control the epidemic of drunkenness which the availability of the cheap, mass-produced 'vodkas' imported and home-produced, had brought about. It is only at the end of the 19th century, with all state distilleries adopting a standard production technique and hence a guarantee of quality, that the name vodka was officially and formally recognized. After the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks confiscated all private distilleries in Moscow. As a result, a number of Russian vodka-makers emigrated, taking their skills and recipes with them. One such exile revived his brand in Paris, using the French version of his family name - Smirnoff. Thence, having met a Russian émigré from the USA, they set up the first vodka distillery there in 1934. This was subsequently sold to a US drinks company. From this small start, vodka began in the 1940s to achieve its wide popularity in the Western World.

What is the Origin of VODKA? Part # 3

From acorns to melon
In 1716, owning distilleries became the exclusive right of the nobility, who were granted further special rights in 1751. In the following 50 or so years there was a proliferation of types of aromatised vodka, but no attempt was made to standardise the basic product. Types produced included: absinthe, acorn, anisette, birch, calamus root, calendula, cherry, chicory, dill, ginger hazelnut, horseradish, juniper, lemon, mastic, mint, mountain ash, oak, pepper, peppermint, raspberry, sage, sorrel, wort and water melon! A typical production process was to distil alcohol twice, dilute it with milk and distil it again, adding water to bring it to the required strength and then flavouring it, prior to a fourth and final distillation. It was not a cheap product and it still had not attained really large-scale production. It did not seek to compete commercially with the major producers in Lithuania, Poland and Prussia. In the 18th century a professor in St. Petersburg discovered a method of purifying alcohol using charcoal filtration. Felt and river sand had already been used for some time in Russia for filtration.

What is the Origin of VODKA? Part # 2

Medicine and Gunpowder

During the Middle Ages, distilled liquor was used mainly for medicinal purposes, as well as being an ingredient in the production of gunpowder. In the 14th century a British Ambassador to Moscow first described vodka as the Russian national drink and in the mid-16th century it was established as the national drink in Poland and Finland. We learn from the Novgorod Chronicles of 1533 that in Russia also, vodka was used frequently as a medicine (zhiznennia voda meaning 'water of life'). In these ancient times Russia produced several kinds of 'vodka' or 'hot wine' as it was then called. There was 'plain wine' (standard), 'good wine' (improved) and 'boyar wine' (high quality). In addition stronger types existed, distilled two ('double wine') or more times. Since early production methods were crude, vodka often contained impurities, so to mask these the distillers flavoured their spirits with fruit, herbs or spices. The mid - 15th century saw the first appearance of pot distillation in Russia. Prior to that, seasoning, ageing and freezing were all used to remove impurities, as was precipitiation using it in glass ('karluk') from the air bladders of sturgeons. Distillation became the first step in producing vodka, with the product being improved by precipitation using isinglass, milk or egg white. Around this time (1450) vodka started to be produced in large quantities and the first recorded exports of Russian vodka were to Sweden in 1505. Polish 'woda' exports started a century later, from major production centres in Posnan and Krakow.

What is the Origin of VODKA? Part #1

Vodka is a drink, which originated in Eastern Europe, the name stemming from the Russian word 'voda' meaning water or as the Poles would say 'woda'. The first documented production of vodka in Russia was at the end of the 9th century, but the first known distillery at, Khylnovsk, was about two hundred years later as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Poland lays claim to having distilled vodka even earlier in the 8th century, but as this was a distillation of wine it might be more appropriate to consider it a crude brandy. The first identifiable Polish vodkas appeared in the 11th century when they were called 'gorzalka', originally used as medicines.